Thailand marijuana festival has visitors on a high

A man waits to register his prescriptions for medicinal cannabis oil during the second day of the inaugural Pan Ram weed festival in the Thai north-eastern province of Buriram on April 20, 2019.PHOTO: AFP

Thailand became the first country in South-east Asia to legalise marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2018.PHOTO: AFP

Thailand became the first country in South-east Asia to legalise marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2018.PHOTO: AFP

Thailand became the first country in South-east Asia to legalise marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2018.PHOTO: AFP

Thailand became the first country in South-east Asia to legalise marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2018.PHOTO: AFP

BURIRAM, Thailand (AFP) - A Buddhist monk fishes out a vial of cannabis oil from his robe and puts a drop under his tongue - one of many flocking to a weed festival in north-eastern Thailand, where excitement is building over a medical marijuana boom.

The global market is forecast to reach tens of billions in under a decade, but slow-moving implementation of the Thai law has lagged behind a wave of local enthusiasm.

A political party has endorsed the plant's benefits while marijuana-themed conferences and panels have sprung up across Thailand, with the three-day festival in Buriram town being the latest showcase for the drug's uses.

The "Pan Buriram" (Buriram Strain) festival, ending on Sunday (April 21), is a first for the sleepy town located about five hours north-east of Bangkok and known mainly for its football and motorsports competitions.

Monk Chaivisit Visitvekin, 67, was one of thousands who showed up and stood in line to file documents with the Ministry of Health as part of an amnesty for those already using cannabis for pain relief.

He said he was taking it for shoulder pain among other ailments.

"I used it before and had no side effects," he said.

The atmosphere on the festival's opening day reflected the mix of caution and excitement over the legalisation of medical marijuana in junta-run Thailand.

The Straits Times

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